Rotary for earth boring



Oct. 28 1924.

E. E. GREVE ROTARY FOR EARTH BORING Filed April 14. 1923 INVENTOR Patented Oct. 28, 19245..

PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR E. GREV'E, OF BELLEVUE, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY FOR EARTH. BORING.

Application filed April 14, 1923. Serial No. 632,032.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR E. Gnnvn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bellevue, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a B0- tary for Earth'Boring, of which the followin is a specification.

- This invention is for a rotary for earth boring, and relates to that type of rotary capable of use in connection with the screwing up or unscrewing of pipe joints or casing sections, as well as for rotating the drilling tool.

In practically every rotary which is capable of use in screwing up or unscrewing sections of the drill stem, slips engaging in a stationary part of the rotary are used for holding the drill stem in suspension when such operation is takin place. These slips may engage in a normzfily rotatable part of the table which may be temporarily locked while the remaining part of the table is rotated, as in myPatent No. 1,437,755 of December 5,1922, or the slips may be held in a stationary part of the base as in patent to Chapman No. 1,264,155 of 1918.

Sometimes the slips are used also in an attempt to keep the pipe from rotating. More frequently, however, a back-up tong, that is, a tong connected to the drill string below the joint which is being made up or broken down, and held stationary by a post on a stationary part of the apparatus, is employed to prevent the string of pipebelow I the joint from rotating.

Where the back-up tong is used, the string may rotate through a considerable are before the tong comes rigidly into contact with the back-up post or before the tong has a bite on the pipe Where the slips are depended on altogether the pipe will also rotate to some extent. tation of the pipe in the-slips causes the slips to cut the pipe, and this is the cause of a great deal of pipe being ruined The present invention has for one of its primary objects to provide a rotary in which a back-up tong may ordinarily be used and 50 in which relative movement between the slips and thee-drill stem may be avoided.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a rotary of simple construction, hav- In either case, this ro-' ing protected bearings and designed to permit of the use of a back-up tong and post, the post being applied directly to the base of the rotary.

The invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig, 1 is a transverse sectional view through a rotary constructed in accordance with my invention, showing the parts arranged for screwing or unscrewing a section of pipe; a

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the arrangement of parts for drilling;

Fig. 3 is a detail view on a larger scale of a portion of the base and slip receiving ring or spider; and

. ,Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a part of the rotary.

In'the drawings, 5 designates a metal base having a relatively high central part 6, through which is a central opening'7, the lower part of the openin being of decreased diameter, thereby provi ing an intermediate annular ledge or shoulder 8. The top 9 of the central part 6 is flat, and surrounding the central part is an. annular groove 10 formed between part 6 and a concentric rib or projection 11, the top ofrib 11 beingflhelow. the top of part 6. Spaced from rib 11 is a second rib or projection 12, a second concentric groove being provided. between ribs 11 and 12, said groove being designated 13. The outer surface of rib 12 is vertical, and terminates at the surface of the thin base part 5. The entire structure as thus described is preferably formed. integrally.

One or more holes or pockets 14 may be ,provided in the top 9 of center rib 6 to receive a make-up tong post A, as in Fig. 1.

Supported on the base is the rotary table 15 having an annular bevel gear ring at 16. The bottom face of the table is shaped to fit over the base, the table having an inner flange 17 engaging in groove 10, a recess 18 for receiving rib 11, a second flange 19 projecting into groove 13, a second annular groove 20 for receiving rib 12, and anouter protecting flange 21. The table has a central opening into which part 6 extends, a

shoulder being formed in this opening at 22.

Threaded to'the outside of the upper portion of rib 6 is a thrust ring 23 which extends over shoulder 22, and thereby prevents the table from rising vertically. The upper surface of the table has a square recess 24:

mud and water. Passages 27 may be formed" at suitable points in the bottom oi ve 10 to permit water to drain out of sa d groove. 7

Set in the center aperture of the base and rotatably suppo on slip rings 28 or other suitable bearing carried on ledge or shoulder 8, is a. ring or spider 29 having a downwardly tapered central aperture 30. The spider, thus rotatably carried in the base, may be held against vertical movement by means of a horizontal pin 31 slidab le in pocket 32 in the base, as shown in Fig. 3, and operable by means of a vertical handle 33 in slot 34. The inner end of this pm, when in operative or projected position, extends into annular groove 35 on the exterlor of the spider.

In some emergencies, hereinafter stated, it may be desirable to hold the spider against rotation in the base. For so holding the spider, the base and the spider may be notched, as at 36. When the notches of both the base and the-spider are in register, a pin 37 may be inserted, as shown in Fig. 3, and this will'serve as a key to hold the spider against rotative movement in the base.

The operation of the rotary when used for screwing up or unscrewing pipe sections may be understood from Fig. l. Tn this figure, the pipe string 4:0 is elevated so that coupling d1 is above the top of the, table. When so elevated, slips 42 are dropped into the spider, these slips being of the usual wedge shaped construction. The slips have their inner faces serrated so that, when inserted, they hold the pipe 40 in suspension, enabling the swivel or other supporting means, not shown, in the derrick to be disconnected from the string.

is may assume that, after the slips have been put in, pipe section 43 is to be screwed into coupling dl. Tong a l is applied to pipe 43, and the tong handle is engaged by tong post 45. Bach-up tong B is applied to coupling 41, [or to the string of plpe below the coupling, and back-up post A. is inserted in the pocket 14. When first applied, the handle of tong B may be spaced away from post A, so that the tong will have no eilect in. holding the string against rotation until the tong is hard against the post.

When the tongs have been applied, the re" tary table is operated, causing tong M: to

does not function immediately, the pipe string may so rotate, but this rotative movement will be transmitted to spider 29. If

the spider were not free to -rotate,i-t hen the slips would cut into the pipe and perhaps damage or ruin it.

The operation is substantially the same when a pipe section is being unscrewed.

In the event that the back-up tong should become broken and a substitute were not available, then pin 37 could be used to hold the spider against rotation. In this event, the slips would be relied upon entirely to hold the pipe from rotating, and some damage Would, no doubt, be caused to the pipe.

When a section of pipe has been added and the grief stem coupled to the top of the tool string, the slips may be removed and the drill string lowered until the square grief stem Opasses through the rotary, as shown in Fig. 2. Then the divided drive bushing 46 is applied to the rotary, the tongs and tong posts being removed. The drive bushing has a square top to fit in the square opening in the table top.

An important feature of the invention is the arrangement of the base with relation to the table, in such manner that the back-up tong post may be mounted directly thereon, with the table being so made that the bushing may be applied thereto and extend over that part of the base to which the back-up tong post is applied, and thus transmit motion to the drill string.

The table may be driven wheel 47 in-the usual way.

from a'bevelf gear Various detailed changes maybe made in the construction of the device within the contemplation .of my invention and under l. A rotary comprising a base. a rotary table carried by the base, and a slip receiving spider rotatably mounted in the base rotatable relatively to the table.

2. A rotary comprising a base, a rotary table carried on the base, and a rotatable slip receiving spider mounted on the base independently of the table.

3. A. rotary comprising a base, a rotary table carried on the base, stationary means for supporting a, back-up tong 0st, and a slip receiving spider rotatable with relation to the back-up tong post supporting means.

4. A rotary comprising a base, a rotary table carried thereby, and a rotatable slip receiving spider mounted on the base below the top of the table. I

5. A rotary comprising a base, a rotary table carried thereby, a rotatable slip receiving spider mounted on the base below the top of the table, and means for releasably holding said spider against rotation.

6. A rotary comprising a base, a rotary table carried thereby, a rotatable slip receiving spider mounted on the base below the top of the table, and means for normally holding the spider against vertical movement.

7. A rotary comprising a base, a rotary table carried by the base, and a back-up tong post on the base within the table.

8. A rotary comprising a base, a rotary table carried by the base, slip supporting means carried by the base, and a back-up tong post on the base within the table.

9. A rotary comprising abase having a central aperture, a rotary table carried by the base and having a central aperture, said base having a back-up post receiving socket therein accessible through the central aperture of the table.

10. A rotary comprising a base, a rotary table carried by the base, and a slip receiving means carried by the base below the top of the table, said base-being provided with means for receiving a back-up tong post.

11. A rotary table comprising a base having a central aperture, a rotary table carried by the base and having a central aperture, and upwardly extending tong engaging means on the base extending up through the aperture of the table.

12. Arotary table comprising a base having a central aperture, a rotary table carried by the base and having a central aperture, upwardly extending means on the base extending up into the aperture of the table, and a removable thrust ring on the upwardly extending means on the base overhanging a shoulder on-the table .for limiting the table against vertical upward movement.

13. A rotary comprising a base having a central part through which is an opening, the central part having a series of concentric ribs and grooves formed thereon, and a rotary table carried on the base and having concentric ribs and rooves therein which interfit with those 0 the base.

14. A rotary comprising a base having a central part through which is an opening, the central part having a series of concentric ribs and grooves formed thereon, a rotary table carried on the base and having concentric ribs and grooves therein which interfit with those of the base, and hearings in one of the grooves of the base engaging the rib of the table that fits therein for rotatably supporting the table.

table carried on the base and having concentric ribs and grooves therein which interfit with those of the base, bearing means in I the bottom of one of the grooves of the base with a series of concentric ribs and grooves,-

the innermost rib being the highest, each rib being successively lower, the bottom of each groove also being successively lower from the inside out, and a table rotatably mounted on the base having a central opening, the table having a series of reverselyarranged concentric ribs and grooves interfitting with the ribs and grooves of the base.

. 17. A rotary table comprising-a base having a central. part through which is an opening, the said central part being provided with a series of concentric ribs and grooves, the innermost rib being the highest, each rib being successively lower, the bottom of each groove also being successively lower from theinside out, and a table rotatably mounted on the base having a central opening, the table having a series of reversely arranged concentric ribs and grooves interfitting with the ribs and grooves of the base, the innermost rib of the base projecting partway through the opening in the table.

18. A rotary table comprising a base having a central part through which isan opening, the said central part being provided with a series of concentric ribs and grooves, the innermost rib being the highest, each rib being successively lower, the bottom-0f each groove also being successively lower from the inside out, a table rotatably mounted on thebase having a central opening, thetable having a series of reversely arranged concentric ribs and grooves interfitting with the ribs and grooves of the base, the innermost rib of the base projecting partway through the opening in the table, and a slip receiving means inside the central aperture of the base below the top of the innermost rib.

19. A rotary table comprising a base having a central part through which is an o ening, the said central part being provided with a series of concentric ribs and grooves, the innermost rib being the highest, each rib being successively lower, the bottom of each groove also being successively lower from the inside out, a' table rotatably mounted on the base having a central opening, the table having a series of reversely arranged concentric ribs and grooves interfittin with the ribs and grooves of the base, the innermost rib ofthe base projecting partway through the opening in the table, and a spider inside the central aperture of the base and sup-- most rib.

20'. A rotary table comprising a base having a central part through diiich is an opening, the said central part being provided with a series of concentric ribs and grooves, the innermost rib being-=tho highest, each rib being successively lower, the bottom of each groove also being successively lower from the inside out a table rotatably mounted on the base having a central opening, the table having a series of reversely arranged concentric ribs and grooves interfitting with the ribs and grooves of the base, the innermost rib. of the base projecting partway through the opening in the table, and a spider inside the central aperture of the base and retatably supported on a led e in said opening, the top of the spider eing below the top of the innermost rib.

In testimony whereof I ail-ix my signature.

EDGAR E. GREVJE. 

